Christmas Camp Wedding

by Karen Schaler

  I bet, Haley thought.

  Ben saw the look on Haley’s face. “Is there a problem?”

  Haley wanted to say that there was a huge problem. She wanted to tell Ben that Trisha obviously still had feelings for Jeff and that the way she kept looking at him made Haley very uneasy. She didn’t trust her. She had wanted a small wedding with just close family and friends, and while Ben thought Trisha was a family friend, Haley wanted to say she was very nervous about just how friendly Trisha wanted to be with Jeff. But when she opened her mouth to express her concerns, she was stopped by the look on Ben’s face. He was eagerly waiting for her response. She knew Ben would never intentionally do anything to hurt her and that he had asked for Trisha’s help genuinely thinking he was doing her a favor.

  “I wanted you to have a special wedding,” Ben said. “I know how disappointed you are that you can’t have it at your parents’, so I thought Trisha could help make the best of things here since that’s what she does for a living, and she’s very good at it.” Ben was starting to look concerned.

  When Haley couldn’t find her words, Jeff came to her rescue. “Haley’s just a little uncomfortable knowing I dated Trisha . . .”

  Ben gave Haley a surprised look. “But that was several years ago. That’s water under the bridge, and you and Trisha remained good friends.”

  “We have,” Jeff agreed. “But . . .”

  Ben’s shoulders slumped. He looked at Haley then back at Jeff. “But, I messed up. I’m really sorry, Haley. Everything happened so fast. I just wanted to help and thought Trisha could do that . . .”

  Haley hated seeing Ben look so disappointed. She rushed over and gave him a hug. “It was very thoughtful of you. You’re always trying to help and thinking about other people. That’s what I love about you.”

  “But you want her to go?” Ben asked. He looked troubled. “I just don’t think she has anywhere else to go now for Christmas . . . But you come first. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

  Jeff looked at Haley.

  Haley forced herself to smile. As much as she wanted Trisha to go, she didn’t want to disappoint or upset Jeff and Ben. They meant everything to her. So, if that meant she would have to put up with Trisha, she would do it.

  “It wouldn’t be right to ask her to leave now, so close to Christmas. She should just stay,” Haley said.

  “Are you sure?” Ben asked. “I can ask her to leave right now.”

  “No, I’m sure,” Haley said and forced a smile for Ben’s sake.

  When Jeff gave her a concerned look, Haley nodded to let him know she was okay, but the truth was, she wasn’t. She needed a moment to regroup.

  “I think I’m going to run upstairs and freshen up,” Haley said.

  Jeff held up the tablet. “But what about the wedding plans?”

  “You go ahead and look at everything. I’m sure whatever you want will be fine, and you know best what we can and can’t do up here.”

  Jeff looked concerned. “Haley . . .”

  She smiled back at him. “No, really, it’s okay. At the end of the day, all I want to do is marry you. Whatever you want is fine with me.” Haley gave him a quick kiss. “As long as you’re standing next to me on Christmas Eve and we’re getting married, I’ll be happy.”

  “Are you sure?” Jeff asked, looking into her eyes.

  She smiled but looked away quickly and started heading out of the room. “I’m sure.”

  “Okay,” Jeff said. “I’ll look at everything, and we can decide together later.”

  “Sounds good,” Haley said and picked up her pace. She didn’t want anyone to see she was crying.

  Chapter Five

  As Haley entered the all-white angel bedroom, the same room she had when she first came to Christmas Camp, she shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She impatiently brushed away her tears. She was mad at herself for getting so emotional. That wasn’t like her. She wasn’t usually the type to cry. The tears had just come out of nowhere. Okay, she thought, maybe not nowhere. In the last few hours, she had gone from planning a beautiful wedding that was also going to help launch her parents’ new B&B business to having everything underwater at the B&B, moving the wedding at the last minute to Christmas Camp, and having Jeff’s ex be the wedding planner.

  She shut her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. When she opened them again, the first thing she saw was all the angel figurines staring back at her. The angel room was decorated with dozens of different kinds of angels, from the angel figurines on the dresser and nightstands to the pictures on the wall and the pillows on the bed.

  She smiled a little, remembering how they used to freak her out and how she’d hidden them all away the first time she’d stayed. But now as she looked at them, they felt like old friends and brought her comfort.

  She had meant what she’d said to Jeff about the most important thing to her was marrying him, not the who, what, why, and where. She loved him. More than she had ever loved anyone before. But loving someone that much scared her. She couldn’t imagine the pain of losing him. Hearing about Trisha and how they’d dated for five years had her feeling insecure for the first time about the relationship they’d built.

  “This is crazy, right?” Haley said out loud. She was talking to the angels, as she started pacing around the room. “I know how much Jeff loves me. Trisha is his past. I’m just stressed and tired and overreacting.” Haley stopped and looked at one of the pictures of an angel. “Good, you’re not talking back, because if you were then I’d know I was really losing it.”

  Haley fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes. She told herself she just needed some rest, and then she’d feel better. But after a few minutes, when her mind refused to turn off, she opened her eyes, frustrated, and stared at the ceiling. She knew there was no way she could rest.

  She got up and grabbed her laptop out of her bag and sat back down on her bed. Work was the one thing that always made her feel better. The one place she always felt safe and in control. She opened up a file that had photos of her parents’ B&B and started scanning through them. When she looked up and saw the angels were staring at her, she gave them a look.

  “What? I know I told Jeff I would take a break and not work while I’m here, but his old girlfriend also wasn’t supposed to be my wedding planner, so it is what it is. I get a pass.”

  An hour later, Haley was still working when she heard a knock on her door.

  “Come in,” Haley said.

  Kathy opened the door. “Ah, now I see why you’re hiding out. You’re working.”

  Haley closed her laptop. “I’m not hiding.”

  “But you are working? I thought you promised Jeff . . .”

  Haley held up her hand to stop her. “Don’t even say it. There were some things I needed to do.”

  Kathy sat down on the bed next to her. “Needed to do, or are you just working because that’s what you do when you’re upset and don’t want to deal with something.”

  “You make it sound like working is a bad thing. It’s what has made me so successful.”

  “And I thought you learned your lesson here last year at Christmas Camp that sometimes you just need to take a break and concentrate on what really matters most, and right now, that would be your wedding, Jeff, your friends, me, and your family. You know, the important stuff. With me being at the top of the list, of course.”

  Haley couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course.”

  Kathy shut Haley’s laptop, stood up, and grabbed Haley’s hand and pulled her up, too. “Jeff and Ben sent me to come get you. Ben made a fresh batch of hot chocolate. He said it’s your favorite.”

  Haley couldn’t help but smile. “Everything they do up here is my favorite.”

  Kathy linked arms with her. “I’m beginning to see why.”

  As they walked out, arm in arm, Haley dropped her head to Kathy’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For being a good friend.�
�

  “Always.”

  When they came down the stairs, Jeff was waiting for them. He looked into Haley’s eyes.

  “All good?” he asked. He still looked concerned.

  She smiled back at him and took his hand. “All good.” When she said it, she really wanted to mean it more than anything in the world, but she was still worried, and what she hated most was that she wasn’t sure what she could do about it.

  As they walked into the kitchen, Jeff smiled at her, but when he looked up, his smile faded.

  “What happened in here?” Jeff asked as he looked around. “What are all these new decorations? And why do we have a Christmas tree in the kitchen?”

  Ben grinned back at him. “Isn’t it great? It was all Gail’s idea. She brought some of her decorations from home and gave the kitchen a whole new look.”

  Jeff gave his dad an incredulous look. “But the kitchen didn’t need a whole new look. Mom always had her special way to decorate in here, and where are all of Mom’s poinsettias? I didn’t see them when I came in. They’re usually everywhere, in the living room, dining room, in here. They were her favorite. Where are they?”

  Jeff, Haley, and Kathy all looked at Ben.

  He smiled as he handed each of them hot chocolate.

  When Jeff got his mug, he looked even more upset. “And what are these?” Jeff held up his mug. It was an adorable snowman mug. Jeff shook his head. “Where are the Santa mugs we always use?”

  “We got some new mugs,” Ben said. “Gail thought they’d go great with our Santa mugs. All the guests love them.”

  “They’re adorable,” Kathy said, but when Jeff gave her a look, she quickly stopped talking.

  Jeff put down his mug without drinking anything. “I just don’t understand why we need all these changes. Christmas Camp has always been about celebrating tradition, and we always do our traditional decorations. That’s what the guests love and count on.”

  “But now we’re adding some of Gail’s traditions. It means a lot to her, and the guests really do love it, too. It’s always nice to start some new traditions, don’t you think?”

  But the look on Jeff’s face said he didn’t agree at all.

  Haley took his hand. “I think it looks great. Sharing traditions is what Christmas Camp is all about, right?”

  Trisha walked into the kitchen and looked around. “But it does look a lot different than what your mom always did.”

  Jeff let go of Haley’s hand and pointed at Trisha. “Exactly.”

  When Haley saw Ben’s disappointed look, she went and stood next to him. “I think there’s always room for new traditions.”

  “I agree,” Ben said.

  Jeff clearly didn’t. “So, where are the poinsettias? That’s one of our oldest traditions.”

  “The thing about the poinsettias is they can be poisonous for cats, so we’ve been using Christmas lilies this year instead,” Ben said. “Gail’s going to bring some when she comes up tomorrow. Now that we’ll be spending Christmas here.”

  Jeff gave his dad an incredulous look. “What are you talking about? We don’t have a cat, and we always do Mom’s poinsettias.”

  As if on cue, an adorable white fur ball of a cat with huge emerald-green eyes strutted into the kitchen and straight over to Jeff and rubbed up against Jeff’s leg and meowed, Jeff gave his dad a stunned look.

  “What is this?”

  Ben chuckled as he picked up the pretty kitty and snuggled her. “This is Snowball. She’s the newest addition to our family. I got her for Gail last month for her birthday. We found her at the same shelter we found Max.” Ben held Snowball up to Jeff. “Do you want to hold her?”

  “No.” Jeff backed away. He looked overwhelmed. “I need some air.” When he turned to leave, Trisha went to follow him.

  Haley stopped her. “No, I’ll go.”

  Ben looked worried. “I think he’s really upset.”

  “It’ll be okay. I’ll give him a second and then go talk to him.”

  Ben nodded and cuddled Snowball. Haley petted Snowball, too.

  Max came over and sat down at Ben’s feet.

  “So, how is Max with Snowball?” Haley asked.

  Ben put Snowball down, and Max nuzzled her. “He loves her. I think he likes having a friend, and Snowball pretty much does her own thing. You know how cats are. So, she’s usually hiding somewhere and doesn’t take any of the attention away from Max. That’s probably why he’s okay with it.”

  Haley smiled and watched Max and Snowball sniff each other. “Well, I think she’s a wonderful addition.”

  “Now I just need my son to think so,” Ben said.

  Haley nodded. “I’ll go talk to him.” She gave Ben a hug. “Don’t worry—everything will be okay.”

  By the time Haley caught up with Jeff outside, he had one of the LED reindeer decorations upside down. He was adjusting its leg so it would stand up straighter. Haley knew when Jeff was upset he always had to fix something. Remembering the story of Jeff and his mom and the reindeer, Haley wasn’t surprised to see Jeff working on the reindeer that had the makeshift red nose. She knew why he was so upset, and her heart ached for him.

  “You okay?” she asked quietly.

  “Yeah, just fixing this reindeer.”

  When Jeff didn’t look up at her, she kneeled down next to him. When he finally looked at her, she could see the pain in his eyes.

  “I know how much you miss her,” Haley said.

  Overwhelmed with emotion, he could only nod.

  As they both stood up together, she gave him a hug and held on tight.

  “It’s going to be okay.”

  Jeff pulled back slowly. He looked up into the sky. “I know she’s gone. It’s been three years, and we all have to move on but . . .”

  Haley took his hand. “But it’s hard.”

  Jeff nodded. “You know I think Gail’s great. I’m so glad my dad has someone to keep him company. It just seems like everything is happening so fast, so many changes. Did you see the cat? We have a cat!”

  “It was a cute cat.” Haley tried to lighten the mood.

  “It was a cat!” Jeff said as he shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not a cat person.”

  “Maybe she’ll grow on you.”

  “And who names a cat Snowball?” Jeff rolled his eyes.

  “Someone who owns a Christmas Camp.”

  When Jeff couldn’t help but laugh, Haley looked relieved. “Just talk to your dad. Tell him how you feel. He’ll understand.”

  “That’s hard to do when I don’t even know how I feel. Does that make sense?”

  Haley nodded. She understood only too well. That’s how she felt about the Trisha situation. Christmas Camp had never felt so complicated.

  As they walked back to the inn together, Haley kissed Jeff. “I love you.”

  Jeff gave her a look that was filled with love. “Love you, too.” He looked up into the sky. It was just starting to get dark, and the first stars were showing up. “I wish you’d been able to meet my mom . . .”

  Haley put her arm around him. “Me, too. But I really love what your dad always says, that the stars in the sky are the people we’ve loved and lost watching over us. I like to think your mom is doing that . . .”

  They both looked up together at the sky.

  Jeff nodded. “I’d like to think that, too.”

  A few hours later, as everyone—Ben, Jeff, Haley, Trisha, Steve, Kathy, and Laura—all gathered around the beautifully set dinner table, the mood was much lighter. There was laughter and joy, and looking around, Haley felt grateful. At that moment, she didn’t even mind that Trisha was part of the group or that she had snagged the seat on the other side of Jeff. What was getting all of Haley’s attention now was watching Kathy’s and Steve’s reaction to the remarkable meal Laura had prepared. Beyond her always-popular pot roast, Laura had also served roasted cauliflower with melted white cheddar cheese, Brussels sprouts with bacon, roasted baby potatoes, and to
mato salad with feta.

  “This meal is amazing,” Kathy said. “I can’t believe you put this all together so quickly not knowing any of us were going to be here.”

  Laura smiled as she passed the Brussels sprouts to Ben. “I’d already planned the pot roast for my family. It’s always a dish we have this time of year, because it’s easy to make and you have lots of leftovers.”

  “Except for tonight,” Jeff said as he took a big slice of roast and put an equally big slice on Haley’s plate for her. “You know your pot roast is one of my favorites.”

  Laura nodded. “And that’s why I knew it was perfect for tonight. A pot roast is great comfort food. It’s like serving a big, warm hug, and I thought you and Haley might be needing that tonight with everything that’s happened today.”

  Kathy looked at Laura. “That is so sweet. That settles it. I’m never leaving here.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Thank you, Laura. I know we all appreciate this,” Haley said and gave her a grateful look, “but what about your family? If we’re eating your pot roast, what are they eating?”

  “A pizza,” Laura said. “I never let them order pizza. They’re loving it.”

  Everyone laughed again.

  When Haley tried to pass the potatoes to Trisha, Trisha shook her head. “No, thank you. I don’t do carbs.”

  Instead, Trisha helped herself to some salad and smiled at Laura. “Thank you for making my favorite salad. I always look forward to it.”

  Haley fought to keep her smile on her face.

  Kathy, seeing Haley struggling, held up her plate. “I’ll take some potatoes. They look delicious, just like everything else. It’s a good thing I’m only staying a few days here, or I’d be in trouble. I’ve already packed on a few pounds from overindulging at all the Christmas parties.”

  Steve gave Kathy an admiring look. “Well, whatever you’re doing, it looks great on you.”

  Kathy, flattered, smiled back at him. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”